On February 27, Schafer Elementary School held “Guest Reader Day” in classrooms throughout the school. During this special day, students and staff welcomed members from the D45 community to read books and discuss their roles within the community.
To kick off the day’s events, the Sharks were treated to a fun and interactive performance by storyteller and actor Chris Fascione, who charmed his audience with his one-man show, “Bringing Literature to Life!” During the performance, Fascione incorporated his comedic and mime skills to act out stories from books available to read at the Helen Plum Public Library.
Following the performance, members of the D45 community, including business owners, healthcare and public service professionals, educators, and many more, visited classrooms to read to students.
Jessica Vizcarra, a 4th and 5th-grade bilingual teacher at Schafer who helped coordinate the event, was excited to welcome community members to help celebrate literature and motivate students to read.
“Events like these are important because they show students the community is invested in them,” Vizcarra said. “When members of our community come to read to our students, it sends students the message that reading is important.”
Diana Wirth, Schafer’s literacy leader who joined Vizcarra and D45’s Community Engagement Coordinator, Claudia Garcia, in the planning of the event, said the event offered students the opportunity to hear fluent reading as they listened closely to guests.
“Students were all ears for their guest readers,” Wirth said. “They loved hearing guests from the community share a bit about what they do for a living.”
Guest Reader Day helped the school gear up for Read Across America week, which offered students additional opportunities to have fun with literature, including wearing crazy socks, dressing up like the professional they want to become, and reading a book that inspires them to draw.
What a way to celebrate literature, Sharks! And to all our community guest readers, thank you for engaging and motivating our students! What a wonderful community we are a part of!